March 28, 2013

New Commuter Train from Arlanda Airport

Photo by Lars Näslund, SL

There are many ways to get from Arlanda Airport to downtown Stockholm: taxi, bus and high speed train (Arlanda Express). All great options, depending on your budget and time constraints. Now there is a new option, which is of special interest to guests of the Rival Hotel! Stockholm has an extensive commuter train system (called pendeltåg in Swedish) run by SL, the same company that runs the busses and subways. They have now extended a track and built a station at the airport. The station, called Arlanda Centralstation (or Arlanda C for short), is located between terminals 4 & 5, in Sky City. Trains depart at 13 and 43 minutes past the hour and the trip to Stockholm Central (Centralen) takes 38 minutes.

Arlanda C station in Sky City, between terminals 4 & 5

What is of particular interest for guests of the Rival Hotel is that the train continues south after Stockholm Central to Stockholm's Södra Station... which is located just 4 blocks from the hotel! Exit to the street Swedenborgsgatan, turn left on the street and walk 4 blocks to the square Mariatorget. We are located on the right-hand side of the square. So, instead of taking the Arlanda Express to the Stockholm Central and then having to take a taxi or subway to the hotel, guests can now take the commuter train the whole way (just about). The journey between Arlanda and Stockholm's Södra takes 43 minutes.

Many signs guiding to Arlanda C

Even more good news... the trip is quite inexpensive. A one-time ticket costs 150 SEK. Compare that to a taxi which takes the same amount of time and costs 520 SEK and the Arlanda Express which costs 260 SEK but only takes you as far as the central train station. If you have a SL card (good for all commuter trains, busses, subways and some ferries) or one-time SL ticket then you only need to buy a supplementary airport fee for 120 SEK. They do sell the SL card at the Arlanda C station. Now for the bad news (you knew it couldn't be all good news). The trains only depart every half hour. So if you happen to just miss a train, you may have to wait up to 30 minutes for the next train. But if you aren't in a rush, or plan wisely, then this is a great option!

About Me

Greetings! My name is Sean Naughton and I work as the Concierge at the Rival Hotel, one of the premiere hotels in Stockholm. I am also a member of Les Clefs d'Or. Through both my work and my personal life I get to experience a lot of what Stockholm has to offer... museums, events, sightseeing tours, adventures, spas, restaurants and nightlife. It's lots of information to absorb and I thought that a blog would be a great way to collect this information and share it with guests of the Rival Hotel and other visitors to Stockholm. I will not be listing everything that Stockholm has to offer; instead I will add day by day and week by week my experiences and thoughts exploring this great city, along with practical tips and upcoming events. I hope that you, as a future visitor to Stockholm, will find the information and experiences listed here of use in planning what to do and see during your visit to the "Capital of Scandinavia". For hotel guests: any help or questions, contact me directly at concierge@rival.se. If you are not staying at the Rival Hotel then I would recommend contacting the Stockholm's Vistors Board at touristinfo@stockholm.se
Profile photo by Daniel Lindberg